Means for opening envelope.



E. E. COLE. MEANS FOR OPENING ENVELOPS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26, 1906.

943,814. Patented Dec.21, 1909.

WiInE as ES. InvEnTUr d W 5, EPHEEI 12.5012

AIImrnEg amiw if m Q@WV ERNEST E. COLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MEANS FOR OPENING ENVELOPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

Application filed November 26, 1906. Serial No. 345,023.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST E. COLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Means for Opening Envelops, of which the following is a full,

clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, IfOl'D'llllg a part of this specification.

My invention relates to envelops and more particularly to improved means for opening envelops, and its object is to provide means whereby the letter or other inclosure may be seized and extracted from the envelop by a jerk or pull.

Myinvention is adapted to be used'with envelops of any structural type or pattern, the main object being to facilitate the opening of an envelop by providing a detachable ortion thereon, and a cutting edge is ormed upon the inclosure, part of which extends into the detachable portion of the envelop. When it is desired to withdraw the inclosure from the envelop, the detachable portion may be seized and given a jerk or pull, and as the inclosure is simultaneously grasped, the cutting edge thereon is brought into engagement with the end of the envelop, thereby, tearing it open and permitting the inclosure to be withdrawn.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 illustrates an envelop having thereon the preferred embodiment of my invention, a folded inclosure being shown in dotted position ;'--Fig. 2 is a View illustrating the detachable portion removed from the envelop and the 1nclosure partly withdrawn; Fig. 3 shows a modified form of folding the inclosure; Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 illustrate various modifications of my invention.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the envelop l is provided with a portion which is rendered detachable from the envelop by means of a series of slits or; perforations 2 which prefer-v ably extend across the corner of the envelop, these perforations being separated by leaving portions of the envelop intact at 3. It is desirable to have both faces of the envelop perforated as described. When perforations are thus made, the detachable portion formed is easily detached, and at the same time the portion perforated has sufiicient strength to prevent undue bending or break ing of the material when it is not desired. The segment which is thus rendered easily detachable from the main body of the envelop forms a detachable portion 4 adapted to be detached from the envelop by a quick jerk or pull. To form auxiliary means for opening the envelop, the inclosure 5 may be folded into a rectangular form as 1s customary. and an additional fold may then be made by folding over one corner of the rectangular form so as to give it the shape of a trapezium, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The inclosure soformed presents a cutting edge 6, the function of which is to cut open the end of the envelop when the inclosure is withdrawn.

It is sometimes desirable to fold the inclosure 7, as'best illustrated in Fig. 3, one corner bein turned over so as to form a pentagon, the inclosure thus presenting a cutting edge 8. After the letter or inclosure is folded into either one of the forms as described, it is placed into the envelop so that the wedge-shaped portion 9 is disposed in the lower right hand corner of the envelop, thus occupying a position within the detachable portion 4, as shown in dotted lines in the various figures. When it is desired to open the envelop and extract the letter or other inclosure therefrom, the segment or detachable portionmay be seized, and the wedge-shaped part of the inclosure will be simultaneously gripped, and by giving a quick jerk or pull the detachable portion 4 will be detached from the body portion of the envelop, thus bringing the cutting edge 6 of the inclosure 5 into engagement with the edge 10 and thereby cutting open the end of the envelop as the inclosure is withdrawn therefrom. The detachable portion may be opaque or it can be rendered transparent so that the inclosure may be visible.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modified form of perforation on the envelop, consisting of a series of punctures 11 which are arranged in a zigzag line across the corner upon both faces of the envelop, the wedge-shaped porperforations 14 upon both faces thereof, thereby forming a. detachable portion. These perforations, as shown, extend in a straight line across the corner of the envelop.

Fig. 8 presents a modified form of a dei tachable portion 15 formed upon the lower edge of an envelop by the perforations 16,

formed preferably in a semi-circle. The detachable portion-so formed permits the inclosure to be withdrawn through the end or .lower edge of the envelop.

The perforations which I have described can be stamped or cut onthe envelop, or

they can be made when the envelop blanks are stamped from a large sheet of paper, this paper being either transparent or opaque. hen the envelop blanks are stamped or cut from a transparent sheet of paper, it is desirable to perforate portions of each envelop blank so that ,When the blank is formed into an envelop, the perforations will appear at certain convenient portions thereof Simultaneously with the stamping of the envelop blanks, an opaquing substance can be used to render certain portions of the envelopblank opaque, it being desirable to leave portions transparent which would formthe detachable portion in the envelop and also a space so that an address can be read on the letter or inclosure. I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction herein shown and described, as

envelop, of an inclosure'having one corner thereof folded over to present a folded cutting edge extending obliquely into said detachable portion, whereby the inclosure may be engaged at the detachable portion and removed therewith from the envelop, said folded edge serving to out the end of the envelop as the inclosure is withdrawn.

In witness' whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 22nd day of November, A. D.

ERNEST E. COLE. Witnesses:

LEONARD W. N OVANDER, ARTHUR H. BOETTCHER. 

